Mar 31, 2009

I like the deep fried bitter gourd, but in an attempt to try and avoid oil, I pan fried the bitter gourd this time. Generally most vegetables do not go well with bitter gourd, so I tried moong dal with it, which tasted real good. MH tried with his eyes closed and could not realize what it was. So those who are scared of bitter taste can try this one.

Add 1/2 tsp of salt to the sliced and washed bitter gourd. Mix well and let it soak for 30 min (wash twice after the soaking). In the meantime heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot add the moong dal, pinch of salt and pan-fry until (becomes soft) cooked and transfer it to a bowl. Then heat the remaining oil in the pan and add the twice washed bitter gourd, pan-fry till the sides turn golden brown (by turning it upside down in between), add cooked moong dal and all other remaining ingredients, check salt. Meanwhile, mix the tamarind pulp into two tbsp of water set aside. At the end add it to the bitter gourd and pan-fry till all the tamarind water is dried.

Most of us like to eat the raw green mango with chili powder and salt. My mom used to make mango pickle at home. She would make them when I’m not at home because I would eat like food even before done. Mangai pachadi is easy to make except shredding part. We can eat alone or with rice or as an instant pickle. This is one of the easiest dishes to make, so let’s start it.

After shredding, squeeze the excess water from the mango as much as you can and pat dry with kitchen towel for 15 min to remove the excess water. In the meantime heat the oil in a small pan. Then add the mustard seeds and once the mustard seeds start to splatter switch off the stove and then add all the ingredients except turmeric powder, chili powder and salt. Transfer the mango into a bowl. After the Urad and Bengal gram turns golden brown then add the chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Pour this to the bowl and mix well.

Mar 23, 2009

I love bitter gourd and sundaikai (turkey berry) kulambu. This is my mom’s recipe. This is one of my favorite recipes. Bitter gourd has excellent medicinal values. It is very low in calorie and more in nutrients. It is specifically used for diabetes to lower the blood sugar level. Bitter gourd leaves juice used for piles treatment. Good source of calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium. Hence I make sure I use this great vegetable at least twice in a month.

Heat the coconut oil/butter in heavy bottom pan. Pan fry the sliced bitter gourd by flipping the sides until both sides turn golden brown. Mean while make the tamarind water by adding 1 ½ cup water into the tamarind pulp. Once the bitter gourd is done add the tamarind water, salt, turmeric powder and sugar. Cover the pan and let it cook until the bitter gourd is 90% cooked (not mushy but soft enough so that you can cut the slice with your finger). Mean while roast ingredients (mentioned as “for paste”) and blend it to make a fine paste with water as less as possible so not making it into a syrup.

Once the bitter gourd is cooked completely add the paste and let it cook for 2 min in high heat. If the kulambu is too thick add some water and let it boil for a minute. It can be served with rice or idly.

This recipe is small variation of normal moor kulambu. I just added cashew nuts instead of rice/rice flour / toor and split Bengal gram/ split roasted gram (pottu kadalai/Daliya). Cashew nut gives you rich and a bit creamy texture to moor kulambu.Traditionally soaked toor dal and split Bengal grams are used to make moor kulambu. For instant recipe we can use rice flour or split roasted gram. We can use okra, winter squash, and ash gourd, Ivy gourd (Kovakaai).Let start the recipe….

Soak the cashew nuts for 15 to 30 min in hot water. Mix turmeric and yogurt and set aside. Blend the above ingredients mentioned “for paste” into a fine paste. Temper mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves then add the Yu Choy stalks and sauté for a min then add the ground paste, let it cook for 4 min in a medium heat, check the salt. Turn the stove, add the yogurt/butter milk and mix well. Let it be there on stove for a minute then transfer it in to a bowl.

Tip: If you have left over coconut chutney you can make instant moor kulambu with it. Just add a ½ tsp of cumin powder ginger paste. Make the paste and follow the above direction.

Heat the oil in a medium pan. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seed, let the mustard seeds splutter and add Urad dal, split Bengal gram and the minced garlic. Add the sliced potatoes, salt, chili powder after Urad dal and Bengal gram turns golden brown. Cover the pan and let it cook for 5 min in medium heat, by stirring the potatoes a couple of times in between.

In the meantime heat 1 tsp of oil in another medium pan then add chopped Yu Choy leaves, salt and cook till it becomes tender without adding water to it. Cook it in medium heat else the water in the greens will dry out soon. When it becomes soft (cooked enough) remove from the stove top and squeeze the water and add (you can leave the water but the curry will be a little mushy) it to the potatoes after checking the potatoes are cooked if not let the potatoes cook for couple of minutes, mix them well and let it be on stove for few more minutes.